LSU to Unveil Shaq Statue on Sept. 8

BATON ROUGE - A busy three days of activities on and off the LSU campus in conjunction with the first home football game of the 2011 season begins on Thursday afternoon, Sept. 8, when the statue of LSU All-American and college and pro Player of the Year, Shaquille O'Neal, will be unveiled in front of the LSU men's basketball practice facility.

The outdoor portion of the ceremony which the general public is invited to, will begin at 6 p.m. in the L-lot in front of the main practice facility doors. The facility is attached to the back of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

There will be VIP receptions and events before and after the unveiling in the practice facility which are invitation only.

The 900-pound bronze statue is a life-size representation of a young "Shaq" dunking in his LSU basketball uniform.

The "iconic" O'Neal retired from the NBA after the 2011 season, spent with the Boston Celtics. He also played for the Orlando Magic (which drafted him No. 1 in 1992), the Los Angeles Lakers (where he won three championships), the Miami Heat (where he was also an NBA champ), the Phoenix Suns and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

He retired ranking fifth all-time in points scored in the NBA and fourth in postseason points scored. He is also the only LSU student athlete in any major sport to win a national player of the year award in college and an MVP award in the pros.

While here that weekend, O'Neal will host his annual fund-raising golf tournament at Carter Plantation on Friday to benefit the Shaquille O'Neal Life Skills Program at LSU. Entries for that tournament are still available through the LSU Life Skills Program office at 225-578-0385.

Also, on Friday, the latest class of the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame will be inducted that night in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Entering the Hall that night will be Seimone Augustus, Skip Bertman, Wendell Davis, Suzette Lee, Carl Maddox and Lloyd Peever.

The nationally-ranked LSU Tiger football team will open its home schedule against Northwestern State at 7 p.m. on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. The game will be televised on TigerVision.